Is all publicity good?

All publicity is good publicity.

I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase often. The argument is that any kind of publicity that draws attention to the person or event or what-have-you is good, regardless of whether it’s something scandalous or something actually good. I find myself in disagreement with this.

I would only want to be known for good things. I don’t want people to be interested in me or my book just because I did something really bad or aggravated a lot of people with my words and antics. I feel that it would hurt me more than do me any good. Why be notorious when you can just be famous?

Pulling a Fifty Shades of Grey.

Many people by now have heard of the piece of fanfiction turned bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey, and I know that currently many people are hating on E.L.James, either for her success, the fact that her writing is terrible, or that she got successful by using someone else’s characters.

I want to touch upon the last point actually. To begin with, there should be no shame in writing fanfiction. I know it receives a lot of negativity, but there’s nothing wrong with writing these stories. As long as the original author’s wishes are respected, there should be no legal issue. A number of famous writers (Cassandra Claire, for example) wrote fanfiction at one point; it’s a great tool that helps you develop your writing skills and receive feedback from people. I often reflect upon my earliest fanfics and compare them with my writing style now, and I feel proud that I’ve managed to come so far.